


Performance Of A Lifetime

by KanaWooby



Category: Love Live Seiyuu RPF, Love Live! School Idol Festival (Video Game), Love Live! School Idol Project, 声優 | Seiyuu RPF
Genre: F/F, Fluff, JolKs - Freeform, JolKs perform a concert together, i can practically hear the audience and the other seiyuus screaming in delight, what a sight that would be to witness
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-10-01
Updated: 2018-10-01
Packaged: 2019-07-23 08:56:22
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,253
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16155797
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/KanaWooby/pseuds/KanaWooby
Summary: It wasn't the first time that the great Yoshino Nanjou had been terribly nervous about performing in front of a large crowd of people - as a few years prior she had fallen victim to a terrible knee injury which resulted in her being unable to perform properly as she would have liked to and even involved her having to miss performances and songs altogether. But this time the reason for her nervousness was not due to any prominent injuries. The reason laid deeper than that.





	Performance Of A Lifetime

**Author's Note:**

> Just a quick note, I'll be referring to them as Kussun and Nanjou throughout ^~^

It wasn't the first time that the great Yoshino Nanjou had been terribly nervous about performing in front of a large crowd of people - as a few years prior she had fallen victim to a terrible knee injury which resulted in her being unable to perform properly as she would have liked to and even involved her having to miss performances and songs altogether. But this time the reason for her nervousness was not due to any prominent injuries. The reason laid deeper than that.

"Are you ready Nan-chan?"

Nanjou broke out of her thoughts upon hearing the familiar chirpy voice of her co-worker, Aina Kusuda. She swallowed a small lump in her throat and took in the beautiful sight of the woman in front of her, the outfit she had been made to wear fit her just right and made her sparkle brightly in the eyes of the older woman. How on earth she was going to be able to perform and keep her composure for hours on end while doing so with the absolute angel that was currently stood with her, she had no idea.

"Always ready." she replied, attempting to keep her outward expression as confident as possible to mask the clear hell of emotions that was threatening to bubble inside her.

The problem lied with that very woman. It wasn't that Nanjou had anything against her, no, it was quite the opposite in fact. Nanjou was actually completely enraptured by her; the way her bewitching brown eyes always held a cheery aura in them which never failed to lift Nanjou's heart, the way her thin lips curled up into a cheeky smile when she was happy and laughing, the way she always put her heart and soul into everything she did and the way she always knew how to help others and make them laugh - that label extending to Nanjou especially  (including when she was having particularly rough days in response to her knee problem). There were so many things that she loved about her dear friend.

Yes, friend.

That word made Nanjou sigh every time she replayed it in her head.

Just a friend...

However she knew what she, herself, felt was much more than that. Than a simple friendship. 

Whenever they were together Nanjou felt so alive, they would always be in their highest spirits and it was clear that many others noticed too - including many (or all) of their other fellow co-workers at 'Love Live!' - as on many occasions both women had been asked about the nature of their relationship. Disappointed, Nanjou would always have to deny any relationship between them that went beyond close friendship but despite this many still knew of Nanjou's feelings for her beloved Kussun. But something told her that regardless of what she said to them, they would always have their suspicions and she didn't blame them. She had become more and more noticing when it came to spending time with the other woman as of recent and found that she wasn't the slickest of people when it came to hiding her feelings. She just hoped Kussun hadn't noticed, while also knowing that she most likely had.  
  
The thought of admitting her feelings out loud to the public had been very tempting to her on many occasions but not only could it land her in hot water but also Kussun and that was the last thing she wanted.   
  
Why should it matter on the gender of someone's lover? Wasn't it the relationship itself that mattered more? 

However Nanjou knew how ruthless and cruel the world of idols could be, many idols being forbidden to date altogether and even when the bans were lifted and said idols did admit to being in a relationship, more often than not there would always be a large backlash - even if it was a seemingly normal straight relationship. But for the public and for the company itself to have to deal with the backlash of homophobic people, Nanjou and Kussun coming out together was something that they were certainly not ready for just yet. Well, they would be. If only their companies thought otherwise.

But not only would that cause trouble but Nanjou didn't even know if Kussun felt the same way. Often there were times when their eyes would meet, both women would become nervous and lost in the moment but maybe she was the only one who felt that.   
  
However now was not the time to dwell on such things. Nanjou had a performance to do with the woman she cared for deeply and she was determined to not mess it up. She had waited so long to be able to perform with her again and it was clear that many of their fans had too - the ticket sales being sold out in a record time after being put on sale after the concert announcement, which had also received plenty of positive feedback (including the huge amount of JolKs related comments, which Nanjou couldn't deny that she liked to see). Now was the time to give a performance that nobody would ever forget.  
  
Having accidentally remained silent Kussun could easily sense Nanjou's nerves (as well as she always seeming to have a sixth sense when it came to her radio partner and her feelings), so she did the best thing she could think of and reached out to take one of Nanjou's clammy hands into her own, gently smoothing the backs with her own slender fingers.

"Don't worry, It will all be fine and I'll be right there with you." 

Kussun lifted her wrist up and showed off her bracelet to the nervous woman, which was one of the many matching accessories they had bought together as a symbol of their bond. Nanjou, of course, was wearing her own version of the bracelet and glanced down at it, as it sat happily around her own wrist.

Nanjou's eyes widened as she suddenly registered Kussun's touch and her gaze flitted around the backstage area but she had little time to react any further as Kussun began leading her closer to the edges of the curtains that separated them from the view of the no-doubt excited audience that were ecstatic to see two of their beloved idols back on stage together.

The instant Nanjou caught sight of the thousands of purple and blue cyalumes that waved frantically in the air she felt as if it was all a dream. Being back on stage with the woman she loved again was such a great feeling, one that she had missed terribly. In response to their appearances the crowd erupted into loud cheers, ones that never failed to give both of the woman an extra rush to perform to the best of their abilities.

Kussun let go of Nanjou's hand to take her spot on the stage, the older woman immediately missing the warmth and softness that Kussun had given her but resisted the urge to reach back out to her for fear of causing a scene.

As the song started playing, Nanjou casted her gaze to Kussun, who a few seconds later met that gaze and smiled comfortingly, as if giving Nanjo a boatload of energy and confidence for what they were about to do.

The first song meant a great deal to Kussun and Nanjou herself as they both performed it as a duet at Nanjou's 2018 Acoustic Birthday live - a duet that fans and themselves never forgot and never would. As they bounced off each other, singing their different parts, Nanjou couldn't help but return her eyes back to Kussun throughout, despite attempting to busy herself with looking out into the crowd. She couldn't help it though. It wasn't easy to look away from someone she loved so dearly, especially when they were singing and sharing the stage together and when Kussun was looking so beautiful as the spotlight illuminated her and her outfit - as if she was an angel sent from the heavens above. Nanjou wouldn't be at all surprised if it turned out that she was. An angel was definitely something that could be used to describe the beautiful and talented Aina Kusuda.  
  
Throughout the entire song, both girls stood close as if revelling in the warmth of the atmosphere they both gave off with their body heat - stirring themselves onto singing with everything they had. Nanjou was fully determined to make the whole concert the best she possibly could for the woman right beside her and with Kussun right by her side, she knew she could do it.

After the last few notes of 'Spring Heart' faded away, leaving the ears of the performers and the crowd, the silence was replaced by loud cheering and the flashing of kingblades from the audience, the colours madly switching from blue to purple and back around again as a tribute to their characters theme colours.

It was scary to think that if it wasn't for Love Live! maybe Nanjou wouldn't have ever met Kussun. Maybe they would have come across each other through online news whenever they released new albums but that wouldn't be anywhere near good enough for Nanjou. She wanted to be in Kussun's life and play a big part in it too, regardless of how selfish that might have sounded.

She didn't have much longer to dwell as she felt her hand get squeezed, before Kussun let go and dashed off stage so Nanjou could get prepared to perform some songs by herself before Kussun following with some of her own - thus giving each other a good rest in between.

Despite Nanjou missing Kussun's presence on stage alongside her, she knew that she would no-doubt be watching her perform and cheering her on from backstage. With that in mind, Nanjou became even more determined to perform to the best of her abilities, in hopes of impressing the girl she loved.

Nanjou turned her attention back towards the audience and waited for the music to cue her in. The familiar tune of 'Black Bullet' rang out as suddenly her band partner Satoshi appeared in the view of the crowd, receiving another cheer from the crowd.  
  
She took her place on the stage and along with the music wove a tale which her audience clung onto until the very end of the song.

~~~

As Nanjou ran backstage, passing Kussun on the way, she felt a familiar hand squeeze her own - however the feeling disappeared as quick as it started much to Nanjou's dismay. She took her place, watching backstage as Kussun ran out and took her position on stage - now revealing to be wearing her signature magician suit equipped with a top hat and a wand.

Nanjou thought she didn't need a silly outfit to be magical, for Nanjou had always seen her that way before mentally berating herself for being so cheesy and smitten.

Nanjou broke out into a beaming smile as she watched Kussun happily dance and sing the lyrics to her song 'Happy Thinking', her voice as cute and endearing as ever.

Kussun always knew how to put on a good and energetic show which Nanjou really admired her for, knowing just how hard her friend worked and how difficult it truly was to be so active on stage while performing to a large crowd.

She made a mental note to check in with her later to make sure she hadn't pushed herself too hard, knowing of Kussun's habit to often do that a lot, even away from performing. She always wanted to satisfy her supporters and often went days on end without sufficient amounts of sleep in order to do so, no matter how many times Nanjou had scolded her kindly for doing so Kussun was still prepared to push herself to the limit. 

A perfect example was after the first show of the Final Live, which had included Kussun collapsing backstage from exhaustion. After already being a day filled with emotions, Nanjou found herself unable to stop crying for a while, at least until Kussun was taken someplace safe where she could be properly taken care of.   
  
It was one of the many reasons that she made the perfect idol - her determination, resilience and desire to keep pushing forward regardless of what she was putting herself through - but also one of the many reasons that Nanjou constantly worried about her, making her check up on Kussun often to make sure she was okay and hadn't worked too hard. Whenever Nanjou heard news of Kussun being unwell or having an injury, Nanjou had made sure to wrap-up whatever she had been doing, abandon her post and she would be right around to Kussun's house as fast as possible - even if she knew Kussun's family would be there and could very well take care of her themselves, she couldn't bare to not see her and try to help her in her recovery.   
  
To Nanjou's relief, Kussun ended the energetic song without so much as a scratch and seemed to look relatively okay and healthy, which eased the nagging part of her that couldn't seem to stop dwelling on the woman.

Before long another familiar song started, Kussun shedding herself of her magician outfit and whipping off her hat elegantly to reveal an Otonokizaka school uniform as the lights dimmed, the only spotlight pointing towards Kussun as her expression changed into one of a melancholic nature as she began singing one of her character's - Nozomi - solos; Moshimo Kara Kitto.

It was a song that made Nanjou fall even harder every time she saw Kussun perform it, specifically remembering her performance of it during their fourth live when it was her birthday, while everyone frantically backstage was preparing her birthday surprise, which Nanjo had supervised with huge gusto, prepared to make every single little detail perfect.

The longer she watched Kussun, the more Nanjou seemed to become bewitched by her, admiring how she could go from cute and energetic to gorgeous and majestic in just a change of song. She truly lived up to the phrase 'best of both worlds'. Often people would refer to Nanjou as the most beautiful voice actor from the Love Live franchise, to which Nanjou disagreed wholeheartedly. It was Kussun, it had always been Kussun.

After the song came to it's end and the applause died down, the stage lit up brighter and focused itself on Kussun as she smiled brightly at the audience while running her hands through her hair as she attempted to steady her breathing from her almost worn out vocal chords.

She bent down to retrieve a bottle of water and took a generous swing of it and cleared her throat before bellowing out to the crowd, "Haiiii!" Which was promptly responded to with another bout of cheers.

Kussun took these moments to interact with the concert goers, laughing and joking with them about herself and Nanjou and thanking them for all attending and for all their support.

Nanjou just continued to watch her as she manoeuvred around the stage, despite being exhausted from performing and lost herself in the happy feeling as she saw Kussun's genuine smile of elation (a smile that should indeed be protected in her professional opinion).

"Let's call her back out...Oh Nan-chan!"

The audience shouted in tandem, signalling for Nanjou to come back out and join Kussun on stage for the last part of the set. As appreciated as the crowds cheers were, Nanjo was fully prepared to run back onstage just on Kussun's command alone - no questions asked.

Nanjou made her way back onto the stage, smiling happily at everyone as she did so, returning to what she knew as her rightful place by the side of her companion.

"So how was Kussun's performance everyone!?" Asked Nanjou, taking her eyes momentarily off the woman beside her in favour of making an exchange with the audience - who responded with fervent enthusiasm and loud cheers.

"You can't fool me Nan-chan, I saw you watching from behind the curtains!" Laughed Kussun, able to begin Nanjo's transformation into an embarrassed tomato.

"I've been caught!" Nanjo responded, joining in with Kussun's laughter - which was a particularly heavenly sound if she did say so herself.

As part of a break before the final part of the show the two women spent some time getting their breath back and slinging back and forth jokes and including the audience in various activities; some of which included question and answer sessions.

Throughout Nanjou ended up learning various new things about Kussun; including her new-found gaming obsession with the likes of Final Fantasy (probably her own influence) and Splatoon and even the time when Kussun performed one of Nanjou's songs live - 'Zero Ichi Kiseki' - but didn't invite her to the live due to shyness.

"Ehhh!? You should have invited me, I bet you sounded great!" Nanjo responded, eliciting a shy blush from the woman beside her and another particularly loud cheer from the audience. 

Throughout their interaction, Nanjou made mental notes of every single new thing she was hearing, adding it to the part of her brain which she made sure to save just for Kussun (even though she knew it was physically impossible she still liked to think she was able to do that - Kussun deserved that much).

Being able to spend time with Kussun and joke around with her like they used to be able to do so often - at least before the hiatus/disbandment of µ's and before their lives became busy with Kussun's solo career and Nanjou's touring with fripSide - was a great experience, one Nanjou wanted to treasure every second of, knowing that once they left the stage it might be a while before they get to see each other (at least publicly).

Before they were about to go into the next song together Kussun caught sight of something around Nanjou's neck, a familiar necklace that she had gifted to her as a birthday present. The older woman noticed Kussun's staring and followed her line of sight, realising she had just noticed the necklace. As the audience was likely growing curious, Nanjou decided to bring it to everyone's attention, happy to let them know that Nanjo was indeed wearing something Kussun had given her years ago.

"Ah yes, I'm wearing the necklace Kussun gave me a few years ago! It's still one of my most treasured possessions!" Nanjou happily declared, fiddling with the chain, before turning to smile at Kussun, who looked incredibly touched.

Giving Kussun no time to reply, Nanjou gestured towards the band to get the next song started and introduced it.

"This is a song that I wrote for Kussun's latest album 'Ainanda!' but today we decided to sing it together..."

As they began to sing, the background lit up brightly, showcasing a compilation of photos and videos that both women had captured over the years they had known each other as a tribute to their relationship and the song that Nanjou had poured her feelings into.

From selfies they had taken in their live costumes backstage to small clips of both of them messing around during NozoEli Radio Garden streams, they were all displayed behind them - their whole story together being retold for the fans to see.

They found themselves, taking their attention away from the audience and attaching it onto the slideshow, reliving their past together. 

They truly had been through a lot together.

As the song ended, the last picture of during the final live when Kussun ran to hug Nanjou, faded from the screen and the stage descended into darkness - obstructing everyone's view from the stage and their beloved idols - emotions in the room all running high.

It was time for the final song of the night, the one Nanjou had been most looking forward to - and anxiously dreading at the same time. All of the lights in the stadium were still blacked out, the only visible lights coming from the bright cyalumes that were dotted all over the stands as everyone waiting for that one anticipated song.

Suddenly a few pairs of spotlights switched on, revealing both women on separate raised platforms amidst the audience and the opening few notes of a very familiar - and very gay - song rang out into everyone's ears. It was time for 'Garasu No Hanazono'.

In time with the song Nanjou reached out her hand in tandem with Kussun, both smiling brightly at each other as they did so while both unknowingly thinking the exact same thing.

_'She's so beautiful'_

All to quickly Nanjou had to sing the first few lines of the song, raising her handheld microphone and putting all her emotions into the words as she sang them out - almost like a secret confession to the one she loved.

"Yume no meiro..."

Kussun responded with her own line, gripping hold of the microphone in one hand.

"Yuri no meiro..."

Nanjou trailed into singing the verse, gripping hold of the provided railings of her platform as it slowly manoeuvred around the audience - putting her at a further distance away from the woman she loved, much to her dismay.

She internally scoffed at herself for missing the close contact she previously had despite knowing that they would be reunited soon. She just couldn't help it. Kussun's presence had created such an effect on her which made her often question herself and where she belonged. Was she destined to just follow the words and rules of the Japanese music industry, which restricted what she truly wanted to be able to do. Or did she truly have a chance to change that and show that she could be with who she pleased, regardless of what any stupid press or hateful individual had to say.

This was her life and she had to live it. 

Performing made her happy but she had come to find that Kussun made her even happier.

Just after the ending of the first chorus, both women's podiums had met up again, connecting them together and allowing them both to step onto a smaller side stage, where Nanjou's protective instincts made her wait for Kussun to safely have both feet on the stage before they both made their ways to the opposite sides of the stage, the spotlights following them as they walked.

However after continuing with the verse, much to everyone's desires, they both turned back towards each other and joined back in the middle - both smiling endearingly at each other before climbing onto the same platform which began moving them around the stadium once again, this time together - minimising the distance between them. 

They waded through the sea of blue and purple kingblades, singing their hearts out as one, while the podium made it's way back to the main stage. When it was safe to transfer themselves back onto the main stage for the main choreography, Nanjou once again found herself waiting for Kussun to get on the stage before both walked further into the centre - waiting for their next musical cue. 

As the trumpets played their instrumental part, Nanjou's heart began racing as she knew what was coming next - the part that had always been difficult but also highly anticipated every time she had to practice or even perform it. She extended her arm, letting Kussun take her hand before spinning her around close to her body and letting her gracefully kneel onto the floor in front of her.  Having Kussun so close to her sent shivers down her spine as she wanted nothing more than to hold her in her arms and stay there for a while. 

Continuing on with the organised steps, Nanjou then gently ran her fingers down Kussun's arms, passed her shoulders and back to her arm on the other side of her body before kneeling down to join Kussun's height level.

"Futari kiri no hanazono de nemuri ni tsuku"

Nanjou whipped around to face Kussun, gently extended her arm to place her hand on Kussun's soft cheek - mentally noting how soft it was. 

"Kami o naderu sono te ga suki motto..." **** ~~~~

Whatever facial care routine she was doing, Nanjou needed to take notes of that was for certain.

They both rose from the ground in unison, Nanjou's hand lingering on Kussun's cheek before she was forced to pull away for the sake of the choreography - both women still having very noticeable smiles on their faces from what just occurred - which she was desperately trying to stay loyal to, her feelings bubbling up and becoming more prominent in the forefront of her mind the more the song progressed. She was beginning to lose the energy to keep fighting it, her urges waxing and waning intensely. 

 _'Keep it together Nanjou.'_ She internally scolded herself, having to refrain from biting her lip and giving away her state of inner turmoil as they separated slightly and swayed in unison, their hands moving along with them.

They approached each other one last time, Nanjou's insides positively bursting with emotion as they connected their hands proudly into the air before circling around each other - their faces so close to each other that they could feel each other's breathing tickling their faces as they sang. 

Suddenly Nanjou stopped singing and froze, unable to take all of her senses away from Kussun - all of her rational thoughts and common sense flying out of the window in an instance. Kussun was shining so bright on stage, her voice as melodious as ever, her smile as infectious as ever and her whole being radiated millions of feelings that Nanjou simply could not ignore. She knew then without even needing to ask that Kussun felt what she did too.

Noticing Kussun eyeing her worriedly as she continued to sing without Nanjou accompanying her or continuing the dance, Nanjou knew she needed to act fast.

She couldn't help herself. She took advantage of their closeness and quickly brought her hand up to cup Kussun's soft cheek into it and firmly brought her own lips crashing against her partner's. She could feel the shock of the sudden action from Kussun but all her doubts and worries were silenced when she felt Kussun reciprocate, her heart soaring higher than ever before as she could completely confirm that yes, they both did indeed love each other. The entire atmosphere in the stadium rose a thousand fold as screams of joy belted out into the night (clearly going to earn them some noise complaints from those who lived nearby) while everyone frantically cheered for both girls and their joint love but Nanjou had tuned everyone else out - the only person on her mind was Kussun and the feeling of her lips against Nanjou's own.  
  
As they slowly separated, their eyes locked onto each others, Nanjou found herself picking up two very apparent emotions in Kussun's eyes; one being the feeling of pure love, a feeling so intense that had the power to touch someone's heart and soul but also the feeling of worry. Worry about what was next for them. Sure, they had a loyal fanbase where many people had made it clear that they would accept both girls if they did so happen to come out but what about the rest of the world?

"I don't care what they think." Nanjou whispered, being careful to make sure her microphone couldn't pick up her words, while losing herself into the deep swirling pools that were Kussun's eyes - sending her heart into a fluttering frenzy.  
  
"All that matters is you." She finished, observing as the worry faded away from Kussun's gaze.  Suddenly their ears began to function again, coming down from the high and numb feeling of euphoria they had taken a hit of after initiating the kiss, picking up the backing track as it continued to play.

Snapping out of their dazes, they remembered they had stopped in the middle of their duet but luckily they smoothly took each others hands into their own and followed their planned choreography of running to the back area of the stage for the final few notes of the song and taking their final positions - their foreheads resting against each others and their hands still glued together.

The audience once again broke out into excruciatingly loud cheers as both girls lovingly looked at each other, gentle tears of happiness and exhaustion escaping their glistening eyes. Kussun was unable to speak, her breathing rapid as she sobbed into Nanjou's shoulder, the older girl tracing circles on her back in an attempt to calm her down.

"Arigato!" Nanjou bellowed out to the audience, giving them a final wave before guiding herself and a glassy-eyed Kussun backstage, out of sight of their fans.

Nanjou held tightly onto Kussun as the younger girl buried her face deeper away into Nanjou's shoulder, the end of Nanjou's short hair faintly tickling the top of her head as she breathed raggedly. Meanwhile Nanjou gently ran her fingers through Kussun's hair softly, gently whispering into her ear in an attempt to coax the overwhelmed woman to calm down.

As Kussun steadied her breathing she felt her tears begin to stop pouring and soon she was able to have a clearer view, with this in mind she turned her face upwards to catch sight of the woman she loved - a worried expression painted on her face as she still tended caringly to Kussun.  
  
"Kussun, are you okay now?" Nanjou asked sweetly, shooting her a patient and reassuring smile to let Kussun know that whenever she was feeling better that Nanjou would be right there for her.   
  
"Yes, thankyou Nan-chan." Kussun sniffled, gently using one of her hands to wipe her swollen eyes - feeling a wave of embarrassment at having begun crying after they had shared such a touching moment that they certainly wouldn't be forgetting.

The media would sure be getting a kick out of what had happened that night, both of their faces would be plastered all over Japanese news sites in a matter of minutes but Nanjou was too trapped in her own elation to care what anyone else thought, what mattered was the two of them and how they no longer had to hide their feelings away. They could openly show their affection towards one another. She didn't care about any possible backlash she would receive, despite knowing she would soon be having a serious conversation with both her and Kussun's record companies, she would be sure to protect Kussun and their love with her entire life as it truly was the most important thing in the whole world to her. Nothing could ever take the place of her Kussun.

"I love you Nan-chan." Kussun whispered gently, her voice as light as air as she leaned her exhausted head on Nanjou's shoulders. The previous event having taken all of her remaining energy straight from her body, both of their beings feelings as if they were numb and floating above the clouds, where nobody could break them apart - a feeling that both were so happy to feel.

"I love you too Kussun." Nanjou replied, placing a sweet kiss on her new girlfriend's head, not minding the sweat that lined the younger girl's hairline - if anything Nanjou thought it made her even more radiate, if that was even at all possible.

_Girlfriend._

Yes, Kussun was her girlfriend. The world could finally know just how much she treasured the wonderful woman before her.

She knew the future would bright for both of them because now they had each other.

**Author's Note:**

> The concert we would all be dying to see for certain - I wonder if they would ever consider doing one sometime in the future, who knows? After being witness to their cute interactions for so long I knew I had to write something for them and I just had to include my favourite fripSide song, Black Bullet, in the set list as well as some of the classic JolKs songs and duets like; Spring Heart, You and Ai and the gay anthem itself Garasu No Hanazono.


End file.
